


Because You Feel Like Home To Me

by SourinFangirl



Category: Free!
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Child Neglect, Depression, Divorced parents, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Gou is Rin's stepsister in this fic, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Minor Character Death, Ms. Matsuoka is an alcoholic, OOCness, Rin's father is alive and well, Rin's grandma is also alive, Rin's mother's name is Ayako, Sad Ending, Self-Harm, adorable boyfriends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 16:37:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4884022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SourinFangirl/pseuds/SourinFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this high school AU, Rin's parents are divorced and Rin's mother has remarried. She and her new husband have a three year old baby girl named Gou and she takes up all of their time. Rin does not get along with his stepfather and his mother seems more interested in her new family. Rin sinks into depression and begins hurting himself. Sousuke is there for him every step of the way and helps put the broken pieces of his heart back together again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Accused

"Hey, Rin. What's up?" Sousuke Yamazaki smiled as he walked over to his boyfriend, Rin Matsuoka. The two of them had been dating for six months and Sousuke had never been happier in all his life. He dated a few guys in the past, but none of them could measure up to Rin, in his opinion. He hadn't really been looking forward to his junior year of high school, but he figured that it wouldn't be so bad if he had Rin by his side all year. 

"Trying to find my essay for English. I know it's in here, it has to be!" Rin was rummaging through his locker, tossing notebooks, textbooks, and folders onto the ground. "I typed it up three days ago and put it in here!" His voice waved and he sounded like he was close to breaking down in tears. 

"Babe, calm down." Sousuke frowned and placed a hand on Rin's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "If you put it in here, then it's got to be in here. Let's take our time and look for it, alright? And if you still can't find it, it's no big deal. We don't have English until after lunch, you have plenty of time to go upstairs and use the computer lab." He didn't know what was up, but he was beginning to worry about Rin. Lately, Rin wasn't himself and he always looked sad. His red eyes were often teary and he wore sweatpants and hoodies everyday. Sousuke never asked him about it because he figured that whatever was going on was none of his business and if Rin wanted him to know, he would tell him. But he knew that something just wasn't right. Rin never got this upset over losing a homework assignment before. 

"..." Rin sniffled and said nothing, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Ok," He mumbled, standing to the side and stuffing his hands deep in his pockets. 

Sousuke's heart ached as he stared at Rin. He looked so broken down and beaten, as if someone was physically hurting him. He reminded Sousuke of a broken doll and he just wanted to take him by his hands and comfort him. "Rin, what's going on? Are you crying?" 

"What? No, I'm fine. I just got something in my eye. Really, I'm ok." Rin swallowed hard and shrugged, gathering his things off the floor and stuffing them inside his messenger bag. "I'll see you later, ok? I have to take an Algebra test that I missed a few days ago." He sighed. Rin was bad at math and knew that he was gonna fail the test. His head was beginning to hurt because he couldn't stop thinking so much. He had so much on his mind and he was dreading going home, as usual. His parents divorced a few years ago and now his mother was remarried with a guy that couldn't stand Rin. Rin hated him in return, so the feeling was definitely mutual. Rin had a cute stepsister named Gou and he loved her to bits, but he sometimes found himself hating her because his mother cared more about her "new child" than she did about her firstborn child. Rin would go home, do his homework, listen to them gush over Gou and ignore him entirely. He often spent the night at his grandmother's house so he wouldn't have to hear them playing with Gou while he was trying to sleep. Her bedroom was right next door to his and after a while, crying himself to sleep was getting to be exhausting. He spilled so many tears on his pillow and his mother never even stopped to ask what was wrong when she saw him sitting at the kitchen table the next morning with blotchy eyes. 

Rin got along great with his grandmother and he wished she could legally adopt him. But he would never even bring that up. Kyou Matsuoka was sixty five years old and she wasn't in great health. She suffered from Type 2 diabetes, she had broken her hip a few months ago, and her eyesight was starting to fail. Rin found it incredible that his mother never even called to check on her nor did she call to ask if Rin got there safely whenever he caught the bus to her house. Kyou had said that her daughter, Ayako was an immature, selfish woman who only cared about herself and that she was always a problem child. Staying out late at night, underage drinking, messing around with boys too old for her, and constantly getting suspended from school. Rin wasn't sure why his father divorced his mother, but he would be sure to ask him this upcoming Saturday. Toraichi Matsuoka loved Rin with everything he had and he not only gave Rin's mother child support, he also stopped by regularly to take Rin out to eat or to go see a baseball game. He told Rin that he couldn't stand his ex-wife, but that he'd always love him no matter what. His father had dreamed of becoming an Olympic swimmer, but that dream went out the window when he met her and married her. Rin was born shortly after they were married. Rin often considered following in his father's footsteps, but due to all that was on his mind as of late, he wasn't even performing too well in the pool, which was something that his captain, Seijuro Mikoshiba, commented on. 

"Alright, babe. Take it easy, ok? I love you." Sousuke leaned over and placed a kiss on Rin's forehead, rubbing his shoulders and waving at him as he walked off towards the end of the hallway, disappearing up the stairs. When he was gone, Sousuke sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against his locker. "Please be ok, Rin. Please."

***************************************************************************************************************************************

"That's all you're gonna eat?" Sousuke pursed his lips together as he slammed his tray down on the table and sat across from Rin, glancing at the plain yogurt that Rin was eating. Sousuke had two spicy chicken sandwiches on his tray along with a fruit cup, an unopened bag of barbecue potato chips, a bottle of apple juice, and a strawberry yogurt. "Man, that's not enough to keep a bird alive. Here." Sousuke grabbed one of his sandwiches and placed it in front of Rin, shaking his head. 

"I'm fine, Sousuke. Not hungry." Rin lied, putting the sandwich back on Sousuke's tray and delicately placing a spoonful of yogurt into his mouth. He looked up to see Sousuke giving him that look, the one that he always gives him when he knows he's lying. "I have an upset stomach. Stop looking at me like that. I'm telling you the truth." 

"How do you expect to be the best swimmer on the team if you eat like this? You're not going to have any energy whatsoever and you know it." Sousuke shook his head, tearing off the aluminum of his sandwich and taking several big bites out of it. He heard Rin's stomach growl and he gave him a knowing look. Before Rin could protest, Sousuke grabbed the unopened sandwich and sat it beside Rin's yogurt. "Whatever's going on, I promise it's not worth this, Rin. You have to eat." 

"You're not my fucking father." Rin growled, narrowing his eyes at Sousuke. It was the first time Sousuke had seen anger in his eyes in weeks. "Stop acting like you know something about me because you don't know jack shit. So just stay out of my business, alright?" 

"You don't have to talk to me like that, dude. I'm just trying to help. I don't know what's going on because you won't tell me. I'm worried sick about you. You've been walking around here looking all sad all the time and I'm starting to think that someone's been bullying you or giving you a hard time. You know all you have to do is tell me that dude's name and I'll handle it." Sousuke sighed heavily, wishing that Rin would see where he was coming from. 

"It's not even like that." Rin sighed as well, unwrapping the aluminum foil and wolfing down the sandwich hungrily. He put it down and wiped at his mouth with a clean napkin, glancing over at Sousuke. "My mom divorced my dad a few years ago and now my mom's married again. I can't stand her new husband and he's a fucking asshole. He's always criticizing everything that I do and making me feel like nothing I do even matters. My mom never pays attention to me and she and that fuckhead are always busy with my little sister, Gou. She's three years old and they treat her like she's everything to them while I get ignored and tossed aside like I'm nothing. I've been spending the night at my grandma's lately and they never even notice." Tears were rolling down Rin's cheeks and he reached up to wipe them away, sniffling and turning his head away. 

"Oh, Rin, I'm really sorry. I had no idea." Sousuke felt horrible for Rin and he had half a mind to punch his stepfather's face in. He couldn't stand it when anyone talked badly about Rin and made him feel like shit. "You're always welcome over my house, babe. Always. I'm never too busy for you and I love you. 

Rin wiped his eyes again and was about to respond to Sousuke's kind comment when the guy sitting a few seats down from him stood up from the table and began to make a big commotion, his red chair crashing to the floor. "My money! It's gone! Somebody stole my money!" It was a freshman named Eddie Clarke. He wasn't very popular and had transferred from Missouri a few weeks ago. He hung around with his best friend, Matt Greenwood, who happened to be sitting across from him. Both boys were short for their age and looked like sixth graders. They were practically brothers, but they didn't look alike at all. Matt was very overweight with dark blue eyes and short black hair while Eddie was extremely skinny with bright green eyes and curly brown hair. Eddie also had a mass of freckles spread out across his face. Some of the older students had begun to tease the two boys for their appearance, calling them Freckleface and Fat Boy. Sousuke only knew Matt because he had gym class with him, but he didn't know Eddie. 

Sousuke stood up and walked over to Eddie, looking down on the ground and searching underneath his tray. "Ok, dude, calm down. How much was it and when did you notice it was missing?" The cafeteria monitor was also searching beneath the table, really hoping that he wouldn't need to search anyone's backpack. 

"Two hundred dollars! My grandmother gave it to me for my birthday and now it's gone!" He was close to tears, his green eyes watery and angry. He turned to look at Rin and glared at him, his jaw tightening up in irritation. "I bet you stole my money! That's why you look so upset! You know you took my money and you thought you were gonna get away with it!" 

"Now, now, let's not accuse anyone just yet, alright?" The cafeteria monitor looked over at Rin as well and sighed in exasperation. He really hated his job sometimes. "He's sitting four seats away from you, stop being ridiculous. If he took your money, don't you think you would see him reaching into your bag?" 

"....I-I didn't take anything! I was sitting right here the whole time, honest!" Rin tightly gripped his spoon and frowned, feeling hurt and embarrassed. Everyone seated towards the back of the lunchroom were staring back at them and Rin felt his face grow hot. "I don't know who took your money, but I swear it wasn't me. I haven't even moved from this spot!" 

"Liar! Liar! Filthy, stinking liar! You took my money, you freaking thief! You better give me my money back or else!" Eddie was hysterical, tears rolling down his cheeks as he struggled to get out of the cafeteria monitor's grasp, desperately wanting to get to Rin. Matt was timidly staring down at his lunch tray, acting like he was too frightened to even lift his head. 

Rin shook his head and grabbed his bag, sobbing as he ran out of the cafeteria. He didn't even know Eddie so why would he think that he stole his money? Rin would never steal anything from anyone, money included. His feelings were incredibly hurt and he wanted to just curl up and cry. As if it wasn't bad enough that his own mother hated him, now Eddie was probably gonna go around and tell everyone that he stole two hundred dollars from him and all of his classmates would start hating him too. 

Sousuke wasn't the type to resort to violence against someone so much shorter and skinnier than he was, but seeing the hurt in Rin's face as he broke down in tears pushed him over the edge. He grabbed the tiny ninth grader by his shirt and slammed him against the wall, a nasty scowl on his face and his eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "What the fuck is your problem, you little punk?! You wanna get beat down?! If Rin says he didn't take your money, then that's it, he didn't take your fucking money. You better lay off Rin and shut your stupid mouth while you still have a chance, you hear me? Say something else about Rin and I'll knock your fucking teeth out." 

Eddie was crying and kicking, struggling to get away from Sousuke. The cafeteria monitor grabbed Sousuke's hand and forced him to release Eddie, warning him that if he caught him doing that again, he was getting hauled off straight to the principal's office. "Man, fuck you." Sousuke grumbled under his breath, shooting a warning glare at both Matt and Eddie before he grabbed his bookbag and exited the cafeteria to go find Rin. 


	2. Drinking Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke finds out that Rin has been cutting. 
> 
> Rin realizes that his mother has started drinking again. When his mother starts having a drunken fit, screaming and throwing things, Rin and Gou spend the night with their grandmother for the night.

"Rin! Rin!" Sousuke raced down the hallway and searched high and low for Rin. When the bell rang and the halls began to fill up with students, he figured that Rin must have left school early. Fearing that Rin might do something stupid because he wasn't thinking properly, Sousuke grabbed his jacket and everything he needed out of his locker, walking out the front doors of the building and calling Rin's name as loud as he could. "Rin! Rin, where are you?" 

Sousuke sighed in relief as he spotted Rin huddled up by the statue near the side of the school, his face buried into the sleeve of his hoodie and his shoulders trembling. Seeing Rin so sad and broken only fueled his anger even more and he wishes he could hurt everyone that's bringing all this pain and misery to his boyfriend. He's the last person who deserves it. 

Rin eventually stopped crying and he sniffled, kissing Sousuke's cheek and nuzzling into his neck. "...I don't know what to do, Sou. I feel like I'm so close to having a breakdown and I can't take this. Everything is just piling on top of each other and I'm not strong enough for this. I'm just not."

"Don't say that, babe. You're the strongest person I know and you can get through anything." He held Rin in his arms and hugged him tightly, massaging his back and lightly running his fingers through his hair. "You're gonna be alright. Everything will be ok, I promise. You don't have to be strong by yourself. Let me be your rock and your shoulder to cry on. What's the point of me being your man if you can't depend on me and come to me whenever you feel like your world is shattering? I just want to help you, Rin. That's all I want." 

".....I've been hiding something from you." Rin pulled back and swallowed hard, looking Sousuke directly in the eye. Without saying another word, he pulled back the sleeves of his hoodie, revealing small, bloody scars across his wrist. The scars on his arms were healed, but the ones on his wrists definitely weren't. He felt a wave of shame wash over him as Sousuke stared at the scars. He felt like the worse boyfriend in the world and he wouldn't be surprised if Sousuke dumped him right then and there. It's what he deserved, anyway. 

"Why, Rin? This isn't solving anything. You're ruining your beautiful skin." Sousuke frowned, lightly tracing the scars with his fingertips and cringing at the thought of the love of his life running a blade across his pale skin whenever he was alone. "I'm not gonna judge you because that's not right and I know that everyone has a different way of coping with things, but babe, please promise me that you'll stop. I know it won't happen overnight and God knows I'm not asking you to stop overnight, but will you see someone? We have a great therapist right here at school and she seems nice. Please, Rin?" 

"I'll think about." Rin was glad that Sousuke didn't react as badly as he thought he would and he was very grateful that he didn't call him stupid or an idiot. If he told his mother or stepfather about the cutting, they would call him every name in the book. "Look, I can't stay here right now. I might take a few days off so I can get myself together. I'll call you tonight." He pulled a tissue out of his bag and wiped his face, standing up and wrapping his arms around Sousuke's neck. "Can I have a little kissey kissey?" He chuckled weakly, puckering up his lips. 

"Alright. I just want you to take care of yourself. Your health is more important than anything, you know?" His heart melted at the sight of Rin attempting to smile and the dry chuckle made him wrap his arms tighter around him. "Of course you can." He leaned in and planted a big kiss on Rin's lips, reluctantly letting go when he walked down the street to catch the bus. ****************************************************************************************************************************************

"....I'm home!" Rin braced himself for criticism for leaving school early, but his mother didn't even seem to care or notice him when he stepped inside the living room. She was reading a fashion magazine and a cooking program was playing on the tv. Gou was sitting cross legged on the kitchen floor, scooping raw cookie dough out of a container labeled SUGAR COOKIES and stuffing the thick dough into her mouth. Rin threw his messenger bag on the kitchen counter and picked Gou up, smiling at her. She was so adorable. She had red eyes like Rin and she was the spitting image of their mother. You couldn't tell she had a different father at all. "Hey, Gou, What's up?" He chuckled as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and planted several sloppy kisses on his cheek, smearing cookie dough all over them. "Rin-Rin! Rin-Rin!" She chanted over and over, bouncing in his arms and giggling loudly. 

"Mom, I'm gonna go upstairs and get some of this homework done." He walked back into the living room and sat Gou on the recliner next to the tv, narrowing his eyes at his mother. "You think you can maybe watch her this time? I mean, she's not even twenty feet away from you and she's in there eating raw cookie dough. You want her to get sick?" 

"She's not gonna get sick, baby. She look like she's sick to you?" Ayako sighed and rubbed her eyes, closing the magazine she was reading and looking up at Rin with exasperation. "Go on upstairs and do your homework. I have a headache, so please take Gou out when you're finished. Sometimes Austin and I want a little time to ourselves and we don't want kids around." She grumbled the last part, but Rin heard it clearly. Austin Manley was Rin's stepfather and Gou's father. 

"Oh, so you're throwing her away too?" Rin sucked his teeth, shaking his head and glaring at his mother in disgust. She smelled like she had been drinking and that only made him angrier. "Well, don't worry. She has a big brother who'll take care of her since you and your asshole husband don't seem very interested in being parents." He knew he was way out of line for talking to his own mother like that, but he honestly didn't care. Her attitude was really starting to make him sick. 

"Now you watch your mouth, young man!" Ayako stood up from the couch and almost stumbled, slurring her words and pointing a shaky finger at Rin. "...I am still your mother and you will not talk to me that way! Just wait until your stepfather gets home! Just wait!" 

"Fuck you." Rin shook his head and walked upstairs, dragging his messenger bag behind him. It took him around four hours to get all of his homework done, but that was because he had decided to copy some of his notes over. He was sure that he had a few quizzes coming up next Friday and he wanted to be prepared for them. After his homework was done, he neatly placed it in his folder and zipped up his bag. He was about to head downstairs to get something to drink when he overheard loud voices. He listened harder and realized that his stepfather and mother were arguing. About what, he had no idea. He decided to stand a bit closer to the bottom of the stairs and he knelt down carefully so they wouldn't see his shadow. 

"I'm not gonna deal with this shit, Ayako! You told me you were done with this and I believed you. For God's sake, we have a child together! She needs us!" 

"It was just one fucking drink! Just one! You get the fuck off of my back and lose this self righteous attitude! You don't see me saying anything about all the little hookers you run around with. And don't think I don't know what you're up to when you sneak out of the house at midnight! You want to cheat and do what you want to do, so if I want to have a drink, I can! I'm an adult and you do not own me!" 

"I'm so tired of arguing with you all the time! It's the same thing every day, day in and day out! You're driving me crazy, woman!" 

"Then leave! I don't need you here! I will be just fine without you! Pack your shit and go!" 

Judging by the sound of his mother's voice, Rin could tell that she had been drinking and that she definitely had more than one drink. "...Not again." He sighed softly, cursing under his breath. He heard soft crying coming from Gou's room and he tip toed up the stairs, opening up her door and peering over at the sad girl standing up in her crib. Her cheeks were wet from her tears and she sniffled when she saw Rin. "...Rin-Rin." She mumbled softly, reaching up to him. "Up! Up!" 

"Alright, Gou." Rin flinched slightly as he heard the voices of his mother and stepfather getting louder, but he chose to ignore them as he changed Gou's diaper and dressed her in a pair of clean clothes. He really couldn't believe this. His mother was home all day and she let Gou sit around with a full diaper. He had never wanted to punch a woman so badly in his life. "Mommy's really sick right now, Gou. So, she's not gonna be herself for a while, you know what I mean?" The tiny baby girl stared up at Rin in confusion and reached for a strand of his maroon colored hair, yanking on it. "Ow!" She giggled and clapped her hands again, sucking on her thumb and rolling around in her crib.

As the argument downstairs escalated, Rin packed all of Gou's things in the baby bag that his mother carried around with her and he went to get his messenger bag, stuffing a few clothes inside it and everything else that he would need. He and Gou wouldn't be sleeping here tonight, that was for sure. He could barely deal with being in this type of environment and if he could barely deal with, he knew that Gou wouldn't be able to cope with it at all. 

Rin grabbed the cordless phone laying on his bed and dialed his grandmother's number, silently begging her to pick up. If push came to shove, he would call Sousuke and ask if his parents were alright with letting he and Gou spend the night, but he really didn't want to be a burden on someone who already had a full house. He and Gou would probably be sleeping on the floor or couch if they spent the night over Sousuke's. 

Kyou Matsuoka picked up on the fourth ring, her voice scratchy and raspy, as if she was just getting over a sore throat. "Hello?" 

"Grandma! It's me, Rin! Is it ok if Gou and I spend the night? And maybe spend a couple days over?" He bit down on his bottom lip, hoping she wouldn't ask questions, though she probably already knew why he was asking 

"Of course you can, child. You don't even have to ask. Is your mother alright? Are you kids safe?" 

"Thanks, Grandma." Rin sighed in relief. "....Mom's drunk and she's throwing things at my stepdad. I think he's about to leave too because I heard him slam the bedroom door a few minutes ago. Gou and I are ok, but if we stay here, we won't be. We'll be there in a couple minutes. Love you. 

"Lord have mercy." Kyou sighed on the other end of the phone and mumbled a prayer. "Well, as long as you and your sister are safe. Come on over, I'll get dinner started and I'll go fix up the guest rooms." 

"You don't have to do that, Grandma. I can order Chinese food and Gou and I can sleep in the same bed." Rin frowned. "I don't want you throwing your back out or falling down again." 

"Hush your mouth, child. I'm just fine and I feel fine. Don't worry about me. Now you go on and hurry over here. Bye, baby. I love you." 

"Love you too, Grandma." Rin hung up the phone and headed out into the hallway, taking Gou out of her crib and walking down the stairs. His mother was laying in the middle of the floor, sobbing and taking big sips from a bottle of vodka. "Everyone I love leaves. Where are you going?! Don't you leave too, Rin! Please, stay with me!" 

Rin shook his head at her and covered Gou's eyes, not wanting her to see her mother like this. "Everyone you love leaves because they're sick of dealing with this shit, Mom. After Dad left, you told me you wouldn't ever pick up a bottle again. You said that after Gou was born, you were a changed woman. Well, you know what? I'm sick of the lies and so is your husband. Me and Gou, we're just kids. We didn't ask for any of this. Why don't you stop being so freaking selfish and get yourself together? Good bye, Mom." 

"Bye, Momma." Gou frowned and waved at their mother, laying her head on Rin's shoulder and going back to sucking on her thumb. 

Ayako cried and clawed at Rin's feet as he walked past her, as she was unable to stand due to being so drunk. All she could do was cry harder when Rin slammed the front door behind him. She had lost her daughter, her son, and her husband. There was nothing left for her anymore, it seemed. She wanted to call her mother and pour her heart out to her, but she couldn't. Their relationship was ruined years ago and it was beyond repair. Kyou was no longer willing to treat her daughter like a baby and hold her while she cried, reassuring her that everything would be ok. The only reassurance that Ayako had left was at the bottom of a bottle of alcohol. 


	3. Broken Families & Butterflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Gou head over to their grandmother's house.  
> A little bit of SouRin here. More in the next chapter, I promise! :)

Rin sighed and shook his head as he walked out of the house and down the street, heading towards the small bus stop at the corner. When he finally got to the bus stop, he placed his messenger bag and Gou's baby bag on the bench, sitting Gou down right beside them. Never in a million years did he think that his family would be this broken. When Rin was six years old, his mother's drinking wasn't that bad. But when he was seven years old, she became a raging alcoholic. She yelled at Rin constantly, she was always eager to get into a fight, Mr. Matsuoka would sometimes find her passed out on the stairs or floor after picking Rin up from school. According to his grandma, she had always had a drinking problem, but it seemed to worsen when she entered adulthood. All Rin could remember was that whenever his father was away on a business trip, his mom would shut herself up in her bedroom for days and not come out. Thankfully, Kyou always came over whenever this happened and she would look after Rin while her poor daughter binged on alcohol. He looked forward to his grandma's visits, even if it meant that his mother would be unavailable for a while. 

Kyou made delicious, sweet oatmeal raisin cookies whenever she came over and Rin was always happy to assist her with the baking. His favorite part was the batter, which he would lick off the spoon whenever his grandma wasn't looking. At the time, he didn't understand that his mother was sick and had a problem. When he asked his grandma about it, she would just shake her head and say, "Don't you worry about it, child. Your momma is going to be ok. She just needs a little time to get better." Now that he was older, he knew exactly what she meant and he knew what his mother needed. She needed to go to rehab. Not just for herself, but for the sake of her marriage, as well. Rin didn't like Austin, but he knew that he was probably cheating on his mom. What guy wanted to come home and deal with a drunk, nagging wife after busting his ass at work all day? It made Rin feel a little sorry for him. Just a little. 

"Rin-Rin, I hungry." Gou kicked her feet back and forth as she sat back against the hard wooden bench, looking up at her older brother with wide eyes. 

"I know, Gou. We'll get something to eat in a bit, alright?" Rin gave her a little smile and a pat on the head. He wasn't surprised to hear her say that. Austin was stingy with his money and preferred to eat at restaurants, while most of Ayako's money went towards alcohol and clothes. Gou probably hadn't ate anything but junk food and sweets all day. The last time Rin looked in the refrigerator, all he saw was a half eaten tray of lasagna, an empty milk carton, and two eggs leftover for breakfast. If his grandma didn't have dinner already waiting for them as soon as they got in the door, he was planning on stopping at a nearby grocery store and buying a couple TV dinners for him and Gou to eat. 

Rin sat down next to his little sister and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, dialing Sousuke's number and patiently waiting for him to pick up. Gou hopped off the bench and began to chase after fireflies, giggling and jumping around all over the place. Rin didn't mind though. Gou didn't deserve to be cooped up in a hot house all day because her mother was too lazy to take her out, so she was probably happy to finally be getting some fresh air and an opportunity to run around. 

"Hello?" Sousuke's voice was sharp and curt, like he was annoyed or irritated by something. 

"Sou?" Rin sighed in relief. Hearing his boyfriend's voice gave him a sense of security, though he was a bit alarmed at how angry his tone of voice sounded. 

"Oh, hey, Rin. You feeling any better?" Sousuke grunted as he sat up and pulled a black t-shirt over his head, yawning loudly. "Sorry about that. I was taking a nap and the phone woke me up. Don't worry about it though. I'm not angry at you. Just hate having my sleep disturbed." He chuckled lightly. 

"I'm decent, I guess. My mom freaked out and got into a fight with my stepdad. He packed his stuff and left. Gou and I are waiting for the bus, we're spending the night with Grandma for a few days." Rin tried to speak like none of this was a big deal, but he felt simmering anger at his mother for her selfishness and for what she was putting her "family" through. "Do you want to come over?" He added hastily, hoping he didn't sound desperate or anything like that. 

"Damn, man. No disrespect, but your mom is out of her mind. For real. She needs to go see someone before she hurts herself or somebody else." Sousuke didn't really know what it was like to have an alcoholic in the family, but he felt horrible for Rin. "You think your grandma will be ok with me staying over? 

"Tell me about it." Rin rolled his eyes and glanced over at Gou, who was letting two fireflies crawl up and down her arms. She was too adorable. "Yeah, Grandma is cool. I'll call her when I'm on the bus and let her know that you're joining us for dinner." 

"Dinner?" Sousuke laughed on the other end of the phone, pulling on a pair of blue jeans and white socks. "Oh, man, my mom cooked a big dinner for me already. Greens, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, broccoli, spaghetti, and chicken tenders. My stomach hurts just thinking about it." Sousuke's appetite had really increased since he quit the swim team and became a defensive tackle for the football team last year. "I was so full up that I just went straight to bed. You think your grandma will be mad if I tell her I'd rather eat later on in the night?" 

"No, not at all. Like I said, she's cool. I think she'll like you too. Especially when I tell her about how good you treat me." Rin blushed, wishing that Sousuke was sitting next to him so that they could make out while waiting for the bus to come. 

"Great. Where does she live at? I'll leave in a couple minutes. If I leave without cleaning up my room, my mom will have a heart attack." Sousuke shook his head, pulling on his tennis shoes and carefully tying them. He wasn't too terribly affectionate, but he was really happy about spending time with Rin and he was looking forward to the possibility of sharing a bed with him, if his grandmother was alright with that. He knew a lot of older people weren't very accepting of same sex relationships, but he was hoping it wouldn't be a big deal to her. 

"She lives over on East Beachwood. By the shopping center. You can't miss it, her house is huge and green with some of the paint peeling. It's the only house with tacky lawn ornaments in the front yard." Rin snickered. Gou loved the ornaments and thought they were cute, but they made his skin crawl and he hated them. There was something about them that kind of creeped him out. 

"Alright, Rin. I'll see you then." 

"Ok then." 

A few minutes passed, but neither one of them wanted to hang up first. 

"Hey, Sou?" 

"Yeah, babe?" 

"I love you." 

"I know, baby. I love you too." 

"You want to know why I love you?" Rin glanced up and noticed that the bus was coming. He slung the strap of his messenger bag around his shoulder and put the strap of the baby bag around his neck. He waggled his fingers to get Gou to stop chasing the fireflies and to come stand by him. 

"Why?" Sousuke was making his bed and getting ready to load his duffel bag with a change of clothes for the next day. 

"Because you feel like home to me. When I'm in your arms, I feel so safe and protected. When you lift me up, I feel like I can do anything. Whenever you kiss me, I get butterflies and I feel like I'm floating." His red eyes started to tear up and he quickly blinked the tears away, hating himself for being so sappy. 

"You feel like home to me too, Rin. I'll never stop loving you. Never. And that's a promise." Sousuke had to blink away tears of his own and he sniffled slightly. He wasn't even expecting that kind of response from Rin. 

"The bus is pulling up. I'll never stop loving you either, Sou. I promise. Bye." Rin reluctantly hung up and climbed on the bus with Gou, holding the tiny girl up and making sure that she didn't trip over the stairs. 

Sousuke hung up with a smile on his face and the smile only grew wider after he grabbed his duffel bag and walked to the nearest bus stop, images of Rin constantly running through his head. 


End file.
